xviii, 656 pages, [16] pages of plates : 29 cm

Map on lining papers

Includes bibliographical references and index

History of the earth and solar system. The uniqueness of planet Earth ; Aspects of geology ; Origin of the system of planets ; Earth as an evolving planet ; Heating, overturn, and formation of a differentiated earth ; The relative abundance of the elements ; The earth machine set in motion, much as we know it today -- The rock record and the geologic time scale. Timing the earth ; The rock record ; Rocks as records of earth movements ; Evolution and the time scale ; Absolute time and the geologic time scale ; The clocks in rocks : radioactive atoms ; Dating rocks by means of radioactive minerals ; Ages of meteorites ; How to synchronize clocks : the stratigraphic and absolute time scales ; An overview of the geologic clock -- Rocks and minerals. The materials of the earth ; Crystals : faces and symmetry ; Crystal symmetry ; Minerals and the microscope ; The atomic structure of minerals ; Electronic structure of the elements ; X rays : the diagnostic tool of mineralogy ; Physical and chemical properties of minerals ; Properties of rock-forming silicates ; Rocks as mineral aggregates -- Folds, faults, and other records of rock deformation. How rocks deform ; Folds ; Fractures and faults ; Imprints of igneous intrusion and metamorphism ; Topographic expression of deformation -- Weathering : the decomposition of rocks. How fast does a rock decay? ; The weathering of a feldspar ; Chemical weathering of a feldspar ; Dissolving without a trace ; Carbonic acid chemistry ; Concepts of stability ; Fragmentation ; Soil : the residue of weathering ; Weathering : the transformation of igneous rock to sediment -- Erosion and landscape. Mass movements ; The form of the surface : high and low ; A contrast in topography ; The overall pattern ; Climate and topography ; Landforms : the physiognomy of the earth ; Evolution of landscape -- The natural water cycle and groundwater. Water, water, everywhere ... ; Water transport : the hydrologic cycle ; Water in the ground ; Darcy's Law of Groundwater Motion ; The quality of water ; Where did all the water come from?

[Cont.] Rivers : currents, channels, and networks. How currents move particles ; Erosion by currents ; Bedforms and depth, velocity, and grain size ; The river as a system ; How velocity of a river depends on slope and channel ; Drainage networks ; The end of the line : deltas -- Wind, dust, and deserts. How much can the wind carry? ; Wind erosion ; Deserts : much wind and rare water ; Depositional landforms of the wind : dunes ; Dust falls -- The flow of ice : glaciers. The formation of glaciers ; How ice moves ; Shapes and sizes of glaciers ; Glacial erosion and deposition ; The Pleistocene Epoch and indirect effects of glaciations -- Ocean processes. The edge of the sea ; Beaches ; Tides ; Continental shelves ; Continental slope and rise ; Turbidity currents ; The profile of the oceans ; Oceanic circulation and transport of terrigenous sediment -- Sedimentation and sedimentary rocks. Sedimentation as a downhill process ; Clastic sediments ; Clastic sedimentary environments ; Chemical sediments : carbonates and their depositional environments ; Other chemical sediments ; Burial and accumulation of sediment ; Tectonics and sediment composition ; Sediment into rock : diagenesis -- Interactions of crust, oceans, and atmosphere. Ocean-crust interactions ; Calculating residence times ; Ocean-atmosphere interactions ; The biosphere and its interactions ; Interaction of the surface with the interior ; The carbon cycle ; Carbon dioxide and climate ; The geological evolution of interacting earth systems ; Interactions of life with the environment ; Hazards to the environment -- The internal heat of the earth. Heat production and transfer in the earth ; Convection ; Thermal state of the interior ; Unscrambling the sources of heat flow from the interior ; Anchoring the geotherm -- Plutonism : the formation of igneous rocks. Granite ; Melting and crystallization ; Crystallization of plagioclase feldspars ; Magmatic differentiation ; Origin of magma ; The major igneous rock families ; The forms of magmatic intrusions

[Cont.] Volcanism. Volcanic deposits ; Eruptive styles ; Case histories of volcanoes ; The global pattern of volcanism ; Volcanism and human affairs -- Metamorphism. Types of metamorphism ; Metamorphic textures ; Metamorphic chemical reactions ; Regional metamorphism ; Contact metamorphism ; Metamorphic chemical changes -- Seismology and the earth's interior. Seismographs ; Earthquakes ; Exploring the interior with seismic waves ; Finding oil with seismic waves ; High pressure and shock experiments ; Seismological sounding of the earth's crust and upper mantle -- The earth's magnetism and gravity. Earth's magnetic field ; Exploring the earth with gravity -- Global plate tectonics : the unifying model. Plate tectonics : a review and summary ; Solving for the relative motions of plates ; Sea-floor spreading and continental drift : rethinking earth history ; Plate motions on a spherical earth ; Charting the sea floor by satellite ; The driving mechanism of plate tectonics -- Deformation of the earth's crust. Regional movement of the earth's crust ; Major regional structures ; Transgressions and regressions of the sea : a plate-tectonic explanation ; The Alps ; The collision between India and Eurasia ; Deformational forces -- The planets : a summary of current knowledge. Some vital statistics of planets ; The moon ; Mercury ; Venus ; Mars ; The terrestrial planets -- summing up ; Jupiter ; Saturn ; Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto ; Meteorites -- Matter and energy from the earth. Energy from fossil fuels ; Measuring energy ; Petroleum and natural gas ; Nonrenewable energy reserves and resources : world and the United States ; Coal ; Acid rain ; Oil shale and tar sands ; The future of fossil fuels ; Nuclear power ; Solar energy ; Geothermal power ; Energy policy ; Minerals as economic resources ; Geology of mineral deposits ; Finding new mineral deposits -- Appendixes. Conversion factors : metric-English ; Conversion chart : energy units ; Numerical data pertaining to earth ; Properties of the most common minerals of the earth's crust ; Topographic and geologic maps

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